Firsts
by kelliejo19
Summary: A collection of one-shots of how Peeta and Katniss got back together. *After Mockingjay*
1. Looking Through the Window

The first time Peeta saw Katniss he didn't know what to do.

He was in his kitchen by a small table frosting his newly made batch of cookies. He didn't even know why he was frosting them to be honest. He knew he wouldn't eat the cookies and the bakery didn't exist in District 12 anymore he couldn't sell them either. He considered giving them to the people who had lost someone during the quarter quell but he knew that would only make him more depressed than he actually was.

As he was putting the finishing touches on his daisy sugar cookie, he heard something he hadn't heard in a long time outside his window. The yellow frosting tube fell out his hands because his hands started shaking violently. As much as he wanted to avoid it he knew that she was there in the victor's village.

As the voice came closer, his palms started sweating and he gave a shaky glance to the telephone hanging on the wall. Maybe I should call Dr. Aurelius, he thought but he pushed it away. He knew Dr. Aurelius wouldn't understand why he was so nervous. Or maybe he would since he seemed to know everything else about what was wrong with him. He couldn't think straight. All he knew was that Katniss was back and she was going to go past his house whether he liked it or not.

Her muted voice floated through the walls and it was all he heard inside his vast house. It brought back memories that he didn't want to have. He gripped the chair with all he had and tried to block all of the false memories of Katniss trying to poison him and killing his family out of his head like Dr. Aurelius taught him. If Katniss had decided to come in to his house he didn't want to be in that state. He wanted to look like he was okay. Like he had it all together which obviously was not the case.

The memories soon dissipated and he found it easier to breathe again. Her voice was coming closer and he heard Haymitch who tried to tell her that he bought some geese because they'd be better company than she could ever be. Peeta's mind raced when Haymitch rambled to Katniss. The sound of her voice came from the left side of the house which meant she would pass by his kitchen window on the way to her own house. He started to panic again but that time it wasn't because of the flashbacks. Seeing Katniss always made him a little jittery. He never knew what to do. All he wanted to do was love her but at the same time he didn't want to get too close to her in case she pushed him away. He knew that if she did he would be so broken not even Dr. Aurelius could help him.

When the voices of the two victors came closer, he came to a decision. He would smile and maybe wave casually at her if she looked into his window as if he just happened to look outside at just the right time. That somehow eased a bit of the nerves but his heart still pounded in his chest. He was sure Katniss heard it through the walls.

When Katniss and Haymitch were along the side of Peeta's house, Peeta picked up the frosting tube again and pretended to be frosting the daisy cookie. He was right under the window so that all he had to do was look up and he'd see her. He'd see Katniss for the first time since she was put on trial for Coin's death. Something like fear and curiosity filled every inch of him. Would she look different? Was her hair still in her braid? Would her smoky grey eyes still have bags underneath them like she hadn't slept in days? If Peeta met those same eyes in the window, would he see hatred in them or would they be filled with something that was somewhere in between love and friendship? The only way for him to know was to look through the window and he was sure something so simple was probably the hardest thing he's ever had to do.

When he saw a flick of her black hair in the window, he looked up. Katniss Everdeen, his ally, friend, and neighbor was walking past_ his_ window. For some reason, the very thought of it seemed almost ridiculous. Katniss should've been doing something more important like trying to fix the country or meeting with the new leader of Panem but instead she came back to the eye-sore of District 12. Maybe she was tired of making all the decisions and having the weight of the world on her shoulders. He could see how that could happen.

When she walked past the window, he was shocked to see how much she had stayed the same. Her hair was still in her signature braid, the bags under her eyes was still evident, and the scar under her chin from the quarter quell was still there. The only thing that was different was how dull her eyes seemed. She seemed to be plagued with sadness. Peeta thought about Prim and sadness filled his heart. He remembered how she would stare at the cakes he'd frost every morning when she and Katniss would pass the bakery. Prim was so young and so very sweet. Peeta's heart ached for Katniss as she walked by as if she was trying to make herself invisible.

Right as Peeta was about to turn away, Katniss looked up into the window and met Peeta's blue eyes. Peeta's heart stopped. Katniss even seemed a little shocked that he was there. Only a few seconds had passed but to the two victors it felt like eternity. Peeta brought his hand up in a half wave, not exactly sure what to do. Katniss just ducked her head, hid what Peeta thought was a blush, and stared at the gravel beneath her as she walked to her house.

When she walked beside Haymitch to her house, he thought about the whirlwind of feelings he felt and let himself take a breath before he tried to figure out what all of it meant.

It was like having a flashback except she didn't have the shiny quality that most of his flashbacks had. And it wasn't terrifying like most flashbacks. It was pleasant and the sight of her blossomed in his chest. He was still in love with her. He always knew that, no matter how bad things got. Even with what the Capitol did to him and his fear of Katniss leaving him, he knew that he would always love her. 'So what do you do to make someone love you back?' He wondered and as he watched Katniss sit on her front swing, broken and so utterly sad, he knew. You wait.


	2. Same Boat

The first time Katniss goes over to Peeta's she's at a lost.

She doesn't even know why he asked her to come over in the first place. Sure, he said he had leftovers from baking too much one day but she knew that he really just wanted to have some human interaction from someone other than Haymitch who was usually passed out drunk on the couch or busy feeding his geese.

Her fingers wonder over the books he's got stacked in the corner of his living room. With every spine she touches, a bit a dust powders in the air. She wonders how long these books have been stacked here but she doesn't dare ask Peeta. Ever since she got back, Peeta has been holed up in his house. Occasionally, she'd see him outside talking to Haymitch across the street or watering the flowers he planted outside his window. Once, she was at her kitchen window and she looked up and saw no other than Peeta glancing at her from his own kitchen window. He turned away embarrassed. Katniss did too but only because she knew that that wasn't the first time she peered through his window. She would glance past her window and into his every morning as she would descend the stairs. Sometimes he would be baking and other times he would be sitting on the counter, brow furrowed in concentration, as he read a book.

As Katniss' fingers traveled over the books in the corner, she wondered if Peeta actually read these dusty books or if he just skimmed the pages, waiting until something caught his interest enough to read it. As if he heard her thoughts, Peeta came out of his kitchen wiping his hands on a rag and stopped short when he saw Katniss picking up a red hardcover book that is covered in dust. She examines it and then moves to put it back in the pile when Peeta's voice rings out, "The Great Gatsby."

Katniss is so startled that book fumbles is her hands and she whips her head, to meet Peeta's soft blue eyes.

"What?"

He nods toward the book Katniss has in her hands. "The Great Gatsby. It's a beautiful book."

She turns the cover over once in her hands and says, "What is it about?"

"Well..." His brow furrows slightly and the sight of it stirs something inside of Katniss. "I don't know how to explain it."

"Try."

He smiles at her. "It's about a woman named Daisy and a man named Jay Gatsby. He's surrounded with money and hosts these extravagant parties every weekend just for her but she doesn't know it." Peeta stops and then says," I only got to chapter four before..."

He doesn't have to say what he's thinking. Katniss knows that something in the book made him have a flashback but she knows he doesn't want to admit that to her.

Peeta clears his throat. "Dinner is ready."

Nerves knot up her stomach as she follows him into his dining room. 'I haven't seen Peeta in over six months let alone talk to him,' she thinks as she sits down at his table. 'What if I say something wrong? What if he has a flashback while I'm here?' She panics. Her hands shake beneath the table and she forces herself to look normal when Peeta returns to the room with a plate of cheesy buns. He sets the plate in the middle of the table and then goes back into the kitchen to bring out two steaming bowls of soup. He sets one in front of Katniss and then sits across from her at the table.

The two victors sit in uneasy silence as they eat. Katniss finally can't stand it anymore and says, "This is amazing, Peeta." And she isn't necessarily lying. His soup is very good but it still cannot hold a candle to the Capitol's beef stew. His bread, however, is what deserves praise. She wish she could stuff a couple buns in her pockets for later but she's too nervous to ask him if she could take some home. Peeta smiles at her praise. "Thanks, Katniss."

They sit in silence again and soon bravery fills Katniss enough for her to clear her throat and ask, "Can I take some of these home for the week?"

Peeta looks a bit surprised initially but he nods his head enthusiastically and says, "Sure, Katniss. I'll go get some fresher ones from the kitchen." He leaves the table leaving Katniss to finish off her soup and take a couple more bites out of her cheesy bun.

When he re-enters, he has a basket full of cheesy buns and decorated cookies and flaky croissants. Katniss' eyes widen she sees the basket. She wonders how she is going to eat all of this before it goes bad. As Peeta moves to set the basket on the table, he falls. Katniss gets out of her chair and moves to him. "Peeta?" She asks when she's by him, panic edging her voice. "All you alright?"

He waves her off. "I'm okay. It's just my prosthetic."

Katniss isn't convinced. "Are you sure?"

He nods and then sighs, "I'm sorry, Katniss. I wanted this to be nice for you and give you the basket of pastries I made-" He stops short as the full meaning of what he just said hit him. Peeta's face reddens. It dawns on Katniss that the cookies and the croissants and the CHEESY BUNS were not leftovers but newly made pastries. He made them especially for her.

Suddenly Katniss starts laughing. She realizes that Peeta must be just as nervous as she is if not more. They're in the same boat. She lays a hand on his arm and says, "Peeta, let's start over."

She means so much more than starting over the meal. She means she wants to start over with trying to love him like he loves her, start over their friendship, start over with everything.

He breathes a sigh of relief and smiles when he tells her," I would love that."


	3. Heaven on Earth

The first time Katniss and Peeta kissed it felt like heaven on earth.

Which makes Katniss wonder if she kissed him again what it would feel like.

She's over at Haymitch's house feeding his annoying geese who are squawking at her begging for more food. She throws it at them if only to get them to stop. One goose keeps biting her leg and finally she nudges it away from her hard enough for it to fall over.

"That one is always a little shit."

Startled, Katniss turns around and sees Haymitch.

"Sounds a little like you," Katniss' says which provokes a smile out of him.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," he says and picks up a bucket of feed.

As he feeds the geese with her, Katniss notices how clean he looks. His shirt is actually buttoned up right for once and his eyes aren't bloodshot. She opens her mouth to comment on it but Haymitch speaks before she can. "How's your boyfriend of yours these days?"

The bucket almost drops out if Katniss' hands but she covers it up by turning to Haymitch and scowling, "He's not my boyfriend." But he is. And Haymitch knows it.

Haymitch snorts, "Yeah okay."

Katniss rolls her eyes at the old man. It's been almost a year since she and Haymitch returned to twelve and he hasn't hardly changed. Good thing she's got something she's been dying to ask him. She turns to him and then smirks as she says, "So how's Effie?"

Out of the corner of Katniss' eye she sees Haymitch look at her with a look that means to kill. "What do you mean?"

Katniss turns to her mentor. "I mean I see her come over here every other day and I want to know what's going on between you two." It's become a joke between Katniss and Peeta when they see Effie stop by Haymitch's house to "drop off things from the Capitol". Effie is not a skilled liar and neither is Haymitch. He tries hard though because when Katniss demands to know what is going on, he just says, "Nothing."

Katniss smiles and says, "Yeah okay."

Haymitch is about to snap at Katniss when he catches sight of Peeta coming down the road.

"Oh, look," he says to Katniss, "Bread boy is coming to join our party."

Katniss turns away from Haymitch to see Peeta coming toward her with his hands in his pockets and his hair disheveled. She waves.

"Hey, Peeta."

He smiles in return. "Hey, Katniss. Haymitch."

Haymitch only grunts in response.

When Peeta gets to the gate he stops and watches Haymitch and Katniss feed the geese for a bit until he clears his throat and asks, "Can I talk to you, Katniss?"

Katniss nods, a bit nervous, and steps out of the pen to talk to Peeta. Peeta suggests that they talk alone and Katniss accepts. As Peeta leads her away from their old mentor, they hear him shout out, "Make sure I get that invitation to the wedding!"

Katniss' face reddens and she promises to embarrass him in front of Effie sometime.

Peeta brings Katniss to the side of Haymitch's house where they would have a bit more privacy.

"What is it, Peeta?" Katniss asks.

Peeta runs a hand through his hair and doesn't say anything. Katniss just wait for him to talk. He obviously knows what to say, he just wants to say it right.

When he finally figures it out, he says," I just want to know if this is for real, Katniss. I mean, I just don't want to wake up one morning and have you change your mind about me. About us."

She doesn't know how to respond to that. She knows that she likes Peeta. She knows that he's funny and that no one has ever looked at her the way he does. The only thing Katniss' doesn't know is if she could love him and kiss him the rest of her life. There is only one way to find out.

Katniss crushes her lips to his.

When their lips touch it is like the world consists of only the two of them. They can only feel each other and how nice it feels to be pressed up against the other. It's then when Katniss knows that she loves him. Just for now or forever it doesn't matter. Because being with Peeta is like having heaven on Earth. And it is a good place to be.

* * *

_So that's it! The rest of the story is up to your imagination. Thanks for reading! _

_-Kel _


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